Toronto Maple Leafs Make the Right Choice Naming Kyle Dubas General Manager

By hiring Kyle Dubas as their new general manager, the Toronto Maple Leafs made the right decision

The worst-kept secret around Toronto has finally been made official. Former assistant general manager Kyle Dubas has been named general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Since Dubas joined the organization in 2014 the plan all along was to groom him to be the next general manager of the team. At only 32-years old he becomes the second-youngest general manager in team history.

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It wasn’t long after Dubas arrived that Lou Lamoriello was also brought on board and became somewhat of a mentor for him. Lamoriello’s decades of experience was like an endless wealth of knowledge for the young assistant GM to learn from and understand how one of the best general managers in history became so successful.

When it was announced at the end of the Maple Leafs’ season that Lamoriello would not be brought back as general manager the writing was on the wall. After four years with the club the grooming phase had been completed and it was time for Dubas to take over.

Despite only being 32, Dubas already has an impressive resume as at 25-years old he was named general manager of the OHL’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. After finding success with that organization he found himself on Maple Leafs’ President Brendan Shanahan’s radar and was brought in at 28-years old to be the assistant general manager of the Maple Leafs.  Part of Dubas’ duties would see him take over as general manager for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies where the team has been a perennial contender.

Shanahan has told the story multiple times that it wasn’t long after his first meeting with Dubas that he knew he had to find a job for him. He was such a believer in Dubas that when other teams came calling to ask to interview him for their own general manager position, Shanahan would deny permission to talk to Dubas. The most famous story being last year when the Colorado Avalanche would ask for permission to speak to Dubas. They were initially granted permission but then had it taken away by Shanahan.

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It was the moment the Avalanche were denied even the chance to talk to Dubas when many in Toronto knew it was only a matter of time before he became the man in charge. The Maple Leafs weren’t going to lose out on what many believe to be one of the brightest young minds in hockey. Therefore, the clock on Lamoriello’s tenure was officially started.

Dubas is a believer in analytics and has built his teams through speed and skill rather than crash and banging where the hardest hitters succeed. He’s helped graduate plenty of Marlies to the Maple Leafs who share the traits he looks for in players such as Connor Brown, William Nylander, Travis Dermott, Andreas Johnsson, and Kasperi Kapanen.

Of course one of the people also in charge of finding those talented players was fellow assistant general manager Mark Hunter. Shanahan said when he was introducing Dubas as general manager that Hunter also wanted the job. It’s unclear whether Hunter will stay on with the club or look to become general manager elsewhere.

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However, if the Maple Leafs were to lose Hunter it’d be a significant blow to the organization as Hunter has done a remarkable job with his scouting. Scouting is Hunter’s biggest strength and it’s no coincidence once he arrived on the scene the Maple Leafs began finding diamonds in the rough in the European leagues such as Nikita Zaitsev.

Although the loss of Hunter would hurt the franchise if the Maple Leafs truly had to choose between one or the other, then the club made the right decision in naming Dubas general manager. There is far too much potential within Dubas to allow him to flourish with another organization and at only 32-years old he could be around the Maple Leafs for a long time to come.